EDITOR'S COLUMN: Stick to conservative principles

The results of the presidential election were certainly a sharp disappointment for those on the right, but conservatives shouldn't be looking for any non-fiscal cliffs to throw themselves from. Nor should Dems see any grand mandate for President Obama's policies.

Obama won small, and the nation and Congress remain as divided as before the election. A Republican comeback in 2014, taking control of the U.S. Senate, would change the picture greatly. By 2014, Americans will have had a much bigger taste of what a second Obama term means in their daily lives in terms of taxes, jobs; and food, energy and health care prices and availability. A bitter taste, most likely.

Obama has "inherited" a national mess from himself, and if he continues his pattern of making bad situations worse the country will be in quite an uproar the next time a president is chosen. Conservative principles embodied in the Constitution and our American heritage are beneficial for all people.

If the Right sticks to its principles and makes a sufficient effort to demonstrate those principles' real-life value to the electorate, as the nation and Obama's economy fare poorly, voters will "get it" in due time.